Matt Cain on perfection: ‘There’s really nothing like it’

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain celebrates after the final out of the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for the Giants, striking out a career-high 14 and getting help from two spectacular catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A scoreboard recognizing a perfect game thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain against the Houston Astros is displayed in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for the Giants, striking out a career-high 14 and getting help from two spectacular catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain (18) celebrates with teammates after throwing a perfect game in a baseball game against the Houston Astros in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for the Giants, striking out a career-high 14 and getting help from two spectacular catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain, left, celebrates with catcher Buster Posey after the final out of the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for the Giants, striking out a career-high 14 and getting help from two spectacular catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain delivers against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Here are some highlights from the Giants’ very festive postgame news conference at AT&T Park Wednesday night after Matt Cain’s perfect game, for those who missed out last night.

Q: Bruce, talk about your emotions after seeing that:

Bruce Bochy: “Just an incredible night. We’re pulling so hard. You could hear the crowd and the whole night, the Blanco catch — I still don’t know how he caught that ball — you’re living on the edge there and hoping he gets that done. Earlier in the season I thought he had a chance to get a no-hitter, but a perfect game is special. It’s historic. It’s my first one. I couldn’t be happier for Matt. I know there was a lot of pressure on those players. I told Arias I’m glad I’m not the one he hit the ball to, but he made the play and got it done. You could feel it in the ballpark. It was like a playoff game.

“When we got that last out, euphoria hit for everybody. As it should. I feel good for Buster Posey because you can go your whole career without catching a no-hitter, much less a perfect game. This guy deserves a lot of credit. Called a great game and they were in sync. Couldn’t be happier for Buster to have this.”

Q: On talking to Cain immediately after the final out:

Bochy: “I just hugged him and he said ‘This is stupid.’ I think he understood how much we think of him and the game he threw. It’s just a great feeling to see somebody achieve a feat like he did, because you realize how hard that is. It was a very emotional time.”

Q: Was Cain poised after the last out?

Bochy: “He lost it. I can’t imagine what’s going through Matt’s head. Every pitch you’re living on and he went through a couple of full counts the last couple innings there. He got it done, though. It’s such a hard thing to do. You realize what you’ve just accomplished. I don’t know if it’s set in yet but I think he knew with how his teammates responded and how the fans responded. That’s amazing, and to be a part of it is special. It’s a night we’ll all remember.”

Q: What was working so well for Cain?

Bochy: “He had a good fastball going, a lot of life to it. He got his strikeouts. He’s got great stuff. He had his change-up working well and was throwing really any pitch any time. When he’s on, it’s going to be a good night for him. He’s had games where I thought he’s had no-hit stuff. To throw a perfect game, that’s hard to do.”

Q: Any concerns about pitch count?

Bochy: “Not with Matty, but I’ll be honest, we had somebody ready. You couldn’t’ see him. Matt was fine with the pitch count. Around the sixth or seventh because of the strikeouts it was getting up there. But once it got to the eighth we had no problems. I was going to let Matt go 130 pitches, maybe more. If he would have given up a hit, I had somebody ready. We had (Shane Loux) throwing down below. Matt didn’t know it. I had somebody ready to go out there and pick him up.”

Q: Where does this one rank?

Bochy: “It’s right up there. It’s a game, it’s a regular season game. But to have Matt out there — he’s done such a great job and is having a great year this year and has had some hard luck in the past with run support. He’s been close. For him to get it, it even makes it that much more special. He’s been a Giant his whole career and he’s the senior guy on this staff. It makes the whole night even more special.”

Q: Matt, What was going through your mind?

Matt Cain: “This is incredible right now. It’s starting to settle in right now a little bit. Being able to celebrate with the guys in the clubhouse and enjoy it was something I’ll never, ever forget. It was unbelievable from the beginning. The guys did a great job of making it relaxing because they were able to get on the board early and keep scoring runs. There’s nothing better than that.”

Q: When did perfection enter your mind?

Cain: “I knew I hadn’t given up a hit. I’m always kind of conscious of it and the first time through the lineup I felt like I had good stuff and was locating. Me and Buster were on the same page the whole night. I felt like something could happen.”

Q: Did previous experiences help you?

Cain: “Kind of, but not really. I’ve had some opportunities in the past but there’s really nothing like it. You get deep into the game and (Blanco) made the defining play. He makes that play in the beginning of the seventh inning and I’ve still got to get two more outs and the place is going crazy. I was literally having to recheck myself to be able to see the signs that Buster was putting down. There was so much adrenaline, so much going on. In a way I was probably overthrowing some change-ups. I could look up there and see I was throwing them harder than I wanted to. But it worked out.”

Q: Did the last few innings feel like the World Series?

Cain: “Honestly I was thinking about it, and it felt like the World Series but almost felt louder. Every strike they were going nuts. It was truly amazing. I’ve never had that much excitement in every pitch, every strike, every swing. (Home plate umpire) Ted Barrett back there — there are some pitches just off the corner and he’s calling them right. And he’s got to hear the whole crowd and that’s got to be a lot of stress on him. He did a great job. He was consistent and called strikes on the plate and stayed the same way the whole night. He didn’t change a bit.”

Q: Buster, what was so special about Matt tonight?

Buster Posey: “Cainer said it, he felt good the first time through the lineup. All year he has had great stuff and to me his fastball was really jumping tonight and had extra life on it. He just threw all four pitches whenever he wanted to. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Q: Buster, how did you deal with this?

Posey: “I was as nervous as I’ve ever been on the baseball field. I’m not going to lie. It’s a different type of nervousness than the World Series or playoffs. You want so much to put the right pitch down but ultimately this is the guy making the pitches. What I tried to do is be confidence in everything I called and be confident and not deviate the entire game.”

Q: What were you thinking on Snyder’s near-homer?

Cain: “I thought it was a home run, I think we all did. I know he barreled it up. I don’t know if he got just a little bit under it or something happened. It literally looked like that ball went out and then came back in the field of play. Melky was able to bring it back down. I have no idea why that ball stayed in the park.”

Q: Matt, talk about the defense:

Cain: “(Arias) played tremendous defense behind me ever since Pablo went out. He makes a run-through play that’s not easy and then makes the last play of the game that was a funky hop. He did a great job. Somehow that ball found his glove.

“There’s nothing better than to know that you’ve got three (outfielders) with tremendous speed and can run down any fly ball that’s in the air long enough. If it stays in the air long enough, with these guys’ speed, more than likely they’re going to run it down. There’s nothing better than three guys who can do that.”

Q: Cain on his late at-bat, a groundout:

Cain: “I’m looking to try and get a hit there. It’s something I want to do. It worked out right. You get a ground ball out in three or four pitches and then go back and sit down.”

Q: Cain on joining Sandy Koufax with 14 strikeouts in a perfect game:

Cain: (Laughs) “You get put in any sentence with Sandy Koufax, that’s tremendous. There’s not much to be said. It’s great. That’s awesome for that to be even mentioned.”

Q: What led to the career-high 14 strikeouts?

Cain: “Our location was good on a lot of pitches when we were getting ahead in the count. We were ahead in a lot of counts and when you get ahead in those situations sometimes it works out. I feel like I’m a little more relaxed and have an idea of my mechanics and what my body is doing and I’m able to control myself.”

Q: Cain on his morning routine before the perfect game:

Cain: “I’ve got to worry about my little crazy 1 ½ year old. That’s good for me because I worry about what she’s thinking. We ate breakfast and went to the dog park. I came to the park like normal, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”

Q: Has it sunk in?

Cain: “It’s probably starting to a little bit but it’s going to take a while. I know after the World Series it didn’t hit me until almost the next spring training.”

Q: Buster, what would you say to baseball fans around the country about Matt Cain:

Posey: “He’s one of the best arms in the game. I’m lucky I get to work with him every fifth day. Stay up late and watch him whenever you can.”

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